Global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will has released new research in response to the need for architects and interior designers to develop a better understanding of flame retardants and their impact on health.
The white paper, “Healthy Environments: Strategies for Avoiding Flame Retardants in the Built Environment,” was developed by Perkins+Will’s Healthy Materials Group and Science Fellow Michel Dedeo. It identifies both new and existing opportunities to design healthier buildings without compromising fire safety or code compliance.
Flame retardants in the built environment are associated with a range of health impacts including cancer, endocrine disruption, and neurodevelopmental problems. Many flame retardants are persistent, bioaccumulative, and/or toxic, and their use in buildings is largely avoidable.
Perkins+Will’s white paper includes a list of 193 flame retardants, including 29 discovered in building and household products, 50 discovered in the indoor environment, and 33 discovered in human blood, milk, and tissues.
The research can help designers identify which products should be subjected to extra scrutiny during the design and construction process and provides options for less hazardous alternatives. The white paper also helps to identify gaps in current understanding of the sources and paths of chemical exposure.
“We want to bring awareness to this important issue impacting the health and wellbeing of building occupants,” said Perkins+Will’s Healthy Materials Leader Suzanne Drake. “The research we have conducted is a valuable resource for identifying healthy alternatives to flame retardant building materials.”
Related Stories
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Engineering Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, URS, and Wiss, Janney, Elstner top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, HDR, and HOK top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 23, 2014
Heathrow Airport could become a city of 190,000 inhabitants
New plans have been introduced to turn London's Heathrow Airport into a city. If those plans ever come to fruition, "Heathrow City" could support 90,000 jobs and 190,000 people. It could also add almost $13 billion to the UK economy.
| Jul 23, 2014
Architecture Billings Index up nearly a point in June
AIA reported the June ABI score was 53.5, up from a mark of 52.6 in May.
| Jul 21, 2014
Economists ponder uneven recovery, weigh benefits of big infrastructure [2014 Giants 300 Report]
According to expert forecasters, multifamily projects, the Panama Canal expansion, and the petroleum industry’s “shale gale” could be saving graces for commercial AEC firms seeking growth opportunities in an economy that’s provided its share of recent disappointments.
| Jul 18, 2014
Contractors warm up to new technologies, invent new management schemes [2014 Giants 300 Report]
“UAV.” “LATISTA.” “CMST.” If BD+C Giants 300 contractors have anything to say about it, these new terms may someday be as well known as “BIM” or “LEED.” Here’s a sampling of what Giant GCs and CMs are doing by way of technological and managerial innovation.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Construction Management Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, Barton Malow, Hill International top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest construction management and project management firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Contractors [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Turner, Whiting-Turner, Skanska top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest contractors in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Engineering firms look to bolster growth through new services, technology [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Following solid revenue growth in 2013, the majority of U.S.-based engineering and engineering/architecture firms expect more of the same this year, according to BD+C’s 2014 Giants 300 report.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Engineering/Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, AECOM, Parsons Brinckerhoff top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest engineering/architecture firms in the United States.